Robin Olds

Overview

Michael Ashcroft profiles Brigadier General Robin Olds, the Second World War veteran who took command of the US Air Force's embattled 8th Tactical Fighter Wing in 1966. In July 1966, North Vietnam’s fleet of MiG-21s is hammering the US Air Force, and the embattled men of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing need a hero to whip them into shape. Enter Colonel Robin Olds, a WWII veteran airman, who charges in and commands respect. With the help of his pilots, Olds masterminds Operation BOLO; a death-defying bait-and-switch tactic that he hopes will whip out the MiGs once and for all. Then on January 2, 1967, Olds and his men provoke a ferocious dogfight and attempt to change the course of the Vietnam War.